MNINAV Chapter 130

 130

[I haven't been able to repost Chapters 1–110 yet, but the link is still accessible on Novel Updates. So from now on, I will continue by posting the new chapters first.]

At the sudden order for everyone to leave, the servants became flustered and didn’t know what to do. Edelmar spoke firmly.

"Did you not hear me say get out?"

The hesitant servants exchanged uneasy glances before hurriedly leaving the banquet hall.

As Ian was feeding pudding to Rose, he asked.

"Why are you chasing away innocent people?"

"I haven’t heard any good reason for your visit to the manor."

"Do we really need to discuss that here?"

Edelmar looked at Rose, then at Ian—the look in his eyes clearly suggesting 'Weren’t you going to leave once she fell asleep?'

Ian pulled a mana stone out of his inventory and tossed it.

"Pipi brought this."

Edelmar took the mana stone with a hum and rolled it around in his hand.

"Is it being mined now?"

"Yes. I’m one hundred percent sure."

"Any chance it’s a trap?"

Ian replied.

"There’s a chance, but it’s more likely that it’s not."

"Why do you think so?"

Ian put down his spoon and kissed Rose on the cheek.

"Did you finish eating, Rose?"

"Yes~."

"Then go with Aunt Hamil, take a bath, and play for a bit. Uncle Ian has to talk with Uncle Edelmar."

"But I still..."

Hamil, who was about to say she hadn’t finished eating, quickly stuffed food into her mouth under Ian’s gaze.

Her mouth now completely full, Hamil picked up Rose and left the banquet hall.

Ian took a sip of wine and continued.

"If it wasn’t a trap, the lord wouldn’t be reacting this way."

"So you knew too?"

Ian frowned deeply.

"What, you think I’m an idiot?"

"No, I just assumed you wouldn’t notice because you’re dense."

"When have I ever been—"

"Enough." 

Edelmar cut him off and said.

"So you’re saying mana stones are being mined within the territory, and the lord is hiding this for personal gain instead of reporting it? And now, because he’s feeling cornered, he’s trying to use his daughter to distract us?"

Ian chewed a piece of meat and answered.

"From what I can tell, he probably knows something is being mined, but he doesn’t realize it’s mana stones."

"But isn’t it legal for the mine owner to extract mana stones?"

Ian chuckled.

"All the land in the duchy belongs to the Duke. That would be me."

"...So you’re saying you never sold any of it?"

Ian nodded.

The first Duke, for reasons of concern now clear, had forbidden the sale of any land in the North gifted to him by the Emperor.

Instead, only leasing was permitted.

As a result, Ian was the legal owner of all land in the North. Without his permission, neither farming nor mining could be conducted.

“Fascinating.”

“That’s thanks to the foresight of the first Duke.”

Ian, thrilled at the thought of acquiring mana stones without effort, responded cheerfully.

“If the lord doesn’t realize it’s mana stones being mined, then who’s doing the actual digging?”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

The noble families from the capital had no interest in the North.

Only one party had any reason to meddle in the region.

“Let’s go together. I’ve been itching for action anyway.”

Though Ian helped fill the void inside him, nothing quite matched the thrill of a proper fight like war.

The battles in the Beast Kingdom had been mainly defensive, which limited his freedom to go wild.

“Where is it?”

“Finding that won’t be hard.”

Ian wiped his mouth and rose from his seat.

***

Late at night, under a sky full of stars.

In the middle of a forest that should have been dark, a soft glow leaked through.

Edelmar landed beside Ian, who was perched atop a tree branch.

“There really is a mine.”

Just as Ian said, finding the mine was easy.

They simply had to ask Pipi the bird to guide them.

True to Ian’s plan, Pipi led them directly to the spot where it had found the mineral.

At the mine entrance, faint light shone through. Armed guards stood watch, and men with swords patrolled nearby as if on alert.

“What do you want to do?” 

Ian asked, glancing at Edelmar.

“What do you want to do?”

Edelmar was slightly surprised. The fact that Ian returned the question meant he had no intention of sparing the ones occupying the mine.

“Aren’t you interested in finding out who’s behind it?”

“Is that really necessary?”

Asking a thief who sent him is a waste of time once he’s already inside your house.

The only answer for a thief was a good, hard blow.

Edelmar drew his sword.

“Then I’ll go first.”

Ian furrowed his brow and opened his mouth to protest, but Edelmar moved before he could speak.

“Who goes there?!”

With no attempt to stay quiet, Edelmar landed roughly and slashed his sword at the man shouting.

The blade moved so swiftly and cleanly that the man didn’t even have time to scream before his head fell.

—Splat!

Leaving behind the fountain of blood, Edelmar dashed toward the next target.

One, two...

The sword gleamed under the moonlight, dancing as it moved, and with each motion, a fountain of blood erupted.

Ian gently descended to the ground and clicked his tongue.

“Does he really enjoy that so much...”

Edelmar, cutting down enemies like a fish in water, wore a satisfied smile on his lips.

Ian casually strolled among the corpses.

“Enemy spotted!”

A shout rang out as someone spotted Edelmar, and the area around the mine suddenly stirred into chaos.

Ian summoned Fragarach.

—Bzzzzt.

As he gripped the sword, he felt a vibration through his hand.

‘Huh?’

When Ian looked down, he noticed the blade was trembling slightly.

“Fragarach?”

Though known as the sword that could slay gods, Fragarach was just a regular sword until its seal was lifted.

So it was strange for such a sword to tremble.

Just as Ian raised it for a closer look—darkness swallowed his vision.

When he blinked, the scenery around him had completely changed.

Stars sparkled in the sky, and to one side, a rainbow-hued Milky Way flowed like a river.

Though initially startled, Ian soon smiled warmly, recognizing this familiar place.

“The Constellations...”

[<Origin> is in tears, saying they missed you dearly.]

[<Well of Mana> is fussing over how skinny you’ve gotten from all the hardships.]

Ian touched his cheek and smiled.

“I haven’t lost weight. If anything, I think I’ve put on a bit.”

[<Well of Mana> is shrieking—‘Where exactly did you gain weight?!’]

[<Origin> says, ‘We’ve been watching you all along. You’ve done so well.’]

“It wasn’t that hard.”

At those words, Ian felt a warmth bloom in his chest.

Though he knew they were watching, whenever he slept or saw something new, he always thought of the Constellations.

To Ian, the Constellations weren’t just divine beings who gave him strength.

They were the only ones who truly cherished and loved him.

They rejoiced at small things, mourned with him, and shared in his happiness.

He always missed them, longed for them, and remembered them.

“I’ve missed you all.”

[<Origin> smiles, saying they’ve missed talking to you too.]

[<Well of Mana> clutches their heart—‘When did our child learn to say such heart-throbbing things?!’]

Ian chuckled softly, but then realized someone was silent.

“And what about <End of the Sword>?”

[<Origin> replies: that’s exactly why you were called here.]

“Please, go ahead and tell me.”

[<Well of Mana> cries out, “We’ve been scammed!”]

Ian tilted his head in confusion.

“Scammed?”

Then the voice of <Origin> echoed.

[Your body on Earth... is still alive.]

Ian’s eyes widened.

[Remember when you asked why your body would cough up blood when using powers imbued with your soul? It’s because your original body on Earth is still alive. The soul has an instinctual desire to return to its original vessel, and using skills amplifies that instinct. That’s why you’ve been coughing up blood.]

[It’s the same with mana and aura. Since you’re drawing on the power of your soul, it agitates that homing instinct!]

“But… the god of this world said it was because my soul was fractured...”

The divine messenger at the temple had warned that his soul didn’t belong to this world, and that using power would crack it further—eventually leading to its destruction.

That was why Ian had been advised to bind his soul with a sacred relic and avoid using power as much as possible.

But now it seemed… that wasn’t true?

[<Well of Mana> burst out, furious. Exactly! That’s why we’re saying it was a scam! That so-called god tricked us! We truly thought you were dead—your breathing had stopped, there were no signs of life! But now it turns out the god tampered with things! Your body may be in a coma without a soul, but it’s still alive!]

“…A coma.”

Ian could imagine the state of his still-living body—frail, lying in a recovery capsule, oxygen mask in place.

[You can go back.]

Ian suddenly lifted his head, stunned.

[<Origin> spoke softly, kindly: It’s difficult for us to place your soul into another body. But returning your soul to your own body... that’s easy.]

Ian didn’t respond immediately.

 

[<Origin> continued: I just don’t want you to be manipulated anymore. Watching everything so far, it’s clear—this god has been using you to fulfill their own plan.]

Ian nodded slowly. He had sensed it too.

Yoori, back on Earth, didn’t care for any other novels except the one that contained the 'Flow' of this world.

Her reincarnation as Rose, and the fact that both 'Flow' and Rose were tied to the dark mage and the saint—none of it was coincidence.

It was all orchestrated by the god from the very beginning.

To shape the future according to their will, they made Rose Yoori’s reincarnation and likely transferred Yoon Sijun’s soul from his living body into Ian.

Sijun, who was emotionally weak against Yoori, would naturally be easier to control.

“Then, if you already understand everything... you must know why I choose not to leave.”

Ian smiled faintly.

“Being manipulated isn’t easy, but... I’m happy right now.”

Waking up in the morning, having people to talk to, to laugh with...

That alone gave Ian the strength to endure any hardship.

[Sijun...]

<The Well of Mana> called him with a voice full of sympathy.

[You only get to choose once. Are you sure you won’t regret it?]

“Yes.”

Ian answered firmly with a nod—then paused.

“<Origin>.”

[Yes?]

“…If my original body dies... will the coughing up of blood stop?”

The starry sky above dimmed for a moment.

“<Origin>?”

[No... until your soul is fully synchronized with your body, that will keep happening.]

“So... my soul won’t be destroyed?”

[...That’s also true. But as the god said, it won’t be completely extinguished. A cracked soul causes you pain—nothing more.]

Ian’s face broke into a bright smile.

If his soul wouldn’t be destroyed, then he no longer had to hold back on using magic, aura, or skills.

“That’s a relief.”

 [<Well of Mana> grumbles, “What exactly is there to be relieved about?”]

“Because I’m going to be in a lot of fights from now on. Ah, does this mean I don’t need to find the sacred relics anymore?”

[<Origin> says the relics help your soul settle into your body. So if you plan to continue living in this world, it’s best to find them.]

Ian nodded in understanding.

Even though the god had tricked him and possessed him using deceit, they had also provided help.

The god who claimed to not interfere with mortals left Bernaba by Rose’s side and gave Ian a relic—all orchestrated by them.

“But you haven’t said anything about <End of the Sword>.”

[<Origin> explains that while summoning you from Earth to our realm was easy, doing so in this world is harder, so a medium was required.]

“A medium?”

[<Well of Mana> says the medium needed to be something that could stay in close contact with you—thus, Fragarach.]

Ian understood up to the part about the medium being Fragarach, but what did that have to do with <End of the Sword>?

As he tilted his head, another message appeared.

[<Origin> continues: in order to imbue the medium with power, one of us had to directly enter it. Since the god of this world exerts strong control, our influence can’t reach fully—so <End of the Sword> entered the medium himself.]

Ian’s jaw dropped.

“Wait, what?”

[<Well of Mana> quickly clarifies: “We didn’t force them! They volunteered!”]

When Ian raised Fragarach, the sword trembled.

[<Origin> tells you to release the seal.]

“Fragarach—seal release.”

The sword’s form shifted. Strange glyphs appeared along its sword. A surge of energy flowed into Ian’s body, followed immediately by a loud voice in his head.

[“FINALLY! I thought I was going to suffocate in there!”]

‘<End of the Sword>?!’